Yanks Ink Cano Through Arb Years

UPDATE, 1-28-08 at 9:25pm: Peter Abraham has Cano’s contract particulars. The deal could be worth $57MM over six years, at the high end.

UPDATE, 1-25-08 at 5:06pm: Jon Heyman has the probable contract details. Cano gets $28MM over his arbitration years. He then has a 2012 option for $13MM and a 2013 option for $15MM.

FROM 1-24-08 at 12:54pm:

Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Yankees are close to a four-year deal with second baseman Robinson Cano. Since he’s a Super Two, this will cover all of his arbitration years. Rosenthal also says that the deal will include a club option or two, allowing the Yankees to buy out some of Cano’s free agency. The deal looks to be worth $30 million.

Rob Neyer recently said that if he was picking a second baseman for the next five years, he’d take Cano. We at River Ave. Blues totally agree. His defense has improved every year that he’s been in the majors, and save for a horrific slump from mid-April through May, Cano was an absolute monster at the dish last year.

This is odd protocol for the Yankees, who tend to let their arbitration guys go year-to-year. They didn’t even sign Derek Jeter before he was ready for free agency — and they actually lost an arbitration hearing to him prior to the 1999 season. Of course, he more than made up for it with his 10-year, $189 million contract.